2000
#31
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 465,948
First available Census row
Per 100,000 172.73
Very Common Last name
Young
An English surname indicating the bearer was younger than someone else with the same personal name.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 537,723 Americans carry the last name Young. That puts it at #34 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 156.88 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 637 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Young surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Young with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
538K
1 in 637
Census rank
#34
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
156.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
469K
very common in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 468,920 bearers of the surname Young in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 156.88 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 34th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Young, the largest self-reported group is White at 63.7%. The next largest groups are Black (23.9%) and Two or More Races (4.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Young
The surname Young is of English origin and dates back to the Middle Ages. It is derived from the Old English word "geong," meaning "young" or "youthful." The name likely originated as a descriptive nickname given to a person who appeared younger than their age or retained a youthful appearance and vigor.
The earliest recorded instances of the name Young can be found in the 13th century. For example, a John le Yonge is mentioned in the Feet of Fines for Essex in 1242, and a William le Yunge is recorded in the Assize Rolls of Staffordshire in 1292.
The surname Young is also found in various medieval records, such as the Hundred Rolls of 1273, where a John le Yunge is listed in Oxfordshire. Additionally, the Pipe Rolls of Worcestershire from 1275 mention a Robert le Yonge.
In the 14th century, the name appears in various spellings, including Yonge, Younge, and Yunge. One notable bearer of the name during this period was Sir John Yonge, a member of Parliament for Somerset in 1382.
During the 15th century, the surname Young began to take on its modern spelling. One example is Thomas Young, who served as the Bishop of St. David's from 1453 to 1472.
In the 16th century, the name Young continued to be prevalent, with individuals like Thomas Young (1507-1568), an English religious reformer and Protestant martyr.
The 17th century saw the rise of several notable individuals bearing the surname Young, including Thomas Young (1587-1655), an English Puritan clergyman, and Patrick Young (1584-1652), a Scottish scholar and librarian known for his work on the Codex Alexandrinus.
In the 18th century, Edward Young (1683-1765), an English poet and playwright, gained recognition for his work "Night Thoughts." Additionally, Arthur Young (1741-1820) was a renowned English writer and agriculturist.
The 19th century brought forth individuals like Brigham Young (1801-1877), a prominent leader in the Latter-day Saint movement and the second president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and Thomas Young (1773-1829), an English polymath who made significant contributions to the fields of physics, physiology, and Egyptology.
Overall, the surname Young has a rich history spanning centuries, with its origins rooted in the Old English language and its bearers leaving an indelible mark across various fields and disciplines throughout time.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Young
Among Census respondents with the surname Young, the largest self-reported group is White at 63.7%. The next largest groups are Black (23.9%) and Two or More Races (4.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Young bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Young surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White63.7% · 298,652
- Black or African American23.9% · 112,255
- Two or more races4.8% · 22,624
- Hispanic or Latino3.6% · 16,902
- Asian and Pacific Islander3.2% · 15,034
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.7% · 3,453
Timeline
Historical Census data for Young
Young appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#32
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 484,447
+18,499 bearers (+4.0%)
Per 100,000 164.23
Rank movement Down 1 places
2020
#34
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 468,920
-15,527 bearers (-3.2%)
Per 100,000 156.88
Rank movement Down 2 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #31 | 465,948 | 172.73 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #32 | 484,447 | 164.23 | +18,499 bearers (+4.0%) | Down 1 places |
| 2020 | #34 | 468,920 | 156.88 | -15,527 bearers (-3.2%) | Down 2 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Young surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #32 | #34 | -6.3% |
| Count | 484,447 | 468,920 | -3.2% |
| Per 100K | 164.23 | 156.88 | -4.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Young bearers went from 484,447 to 468,920 (-3.2% change). The surname moved down 2 positions in the national ranking, going from #32 to #34.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Young
FAQ
Young surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Young?
Name Census estimates that about 537,723 living Americans carry the surname Young. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 637 residents.
How common is Young?
Young ranks #34 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Common." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 156.88 per 100,000 residents, which is about 157 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 468,920 people with the surname Young. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (537,723), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 156.88 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 156.88 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 157 of them to have the surname Young.
Has Young become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Young went from 484,447 recorded bearers to 468,920. That is a decrease of 15,527 (-3.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #32 to #34.
What does the Census say about the background of Young?
Among Census respondents with the surname Young, the largest self-reported group is White at 63.7%. The next largest groups are Black (23.9%) and Two or More Races (4.8%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Young in the 2020 Census, accounting for 63.7% (298,652 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Young appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (63.7%), Black (23.9%), Two or More Races (4.8%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Young (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Young mean?
An English surname indicating the bearer was younger than someone else with the same personal name. The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Young (156.88 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many Americans have the surname Young?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.